IXL Social Enterprise Case Studies Energy January 2012 | Page 6

Revolutionizing the way to make energy affordable for everyone
lamps, because they will continue to burn even in
the strongest winds.
The amount of smoke produced by kerosene
lamps depends on the quality of the lamp and
of the fuel. While lamp smoke stings eyes and
contributes to air pollution and respiratory
diseases, the quantity of smoke produced is
relatively minor when compared to that emitted
by the stoves and open fires used by many
households for cooking.
Kerosene lamps, whether improvised or massproduced, are widely available in markets across
Africa, as is the liquid kerosene fuel that they use.
(The fuel is also called ‘paraffin’ in the U.K. and in
areas where British English is spoken.) Kerosene
lamps are also commonly used with diesel fuel
or gasoline when these fuels are more readily
available or less expensive than kerosene. Both
these fuels, however, are smokier than kerosene,
and gasoline especially poses a significant fire

risk because it is volatile and highly flammable.
Candles and battery-powered lamps and
flashlights (torches) are also widely used and
widely available. Because these typically produce
a smaller quantity of light than kerosene lanterns,
they are used more often for personal purposes,
such as following a path outdoors in the dark, or
doing an individual task indoors at night.
Consumers typically use a mix of light sources.
Households often will have several separate
lighting devices: one for interior lighting, one
for working outside, and one as a back-up when
a specific type of fuel is not available or is too
expensive.10
The relative rates at which these light sources
are used vary significantly by geography and by
the proximity of a user to a market where fuel
sources are available.

Table 1. Overview of Artificial Light Sources
Source

The Grid

SUNNYMONEY
Solar Lamps

Battery-Powered
Lighting

Flame-based
Lighting

• Electricity direct
• Solar-powered lamps
• Flashlights (torches)
• Candles
Offering
to consumers’
• Solar lamp systems
• Lamps powered by
• Fire

homes

large batteries
• Kerosene (paraffin)
lamps

• Low initial
• High initial
• High initial
• Low initial
Cost investment investment investment investment

• Frequent (low)
• Negligible
• Negligible
• Frequent (high)
repeated costs costs over time costs over time repeated costs

• Indefinite lifespan
• Panel with significant
• Varying effectiveness
• Ind